


Squeeze

by HasteinAurelius



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Banter, Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, Gen, Good Friend Hange Zoë, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27082726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HasteinAurelius/pseuds/HasteinAurelius
Summary: Old friends try to deal with the aftermath of the 57th scouting mission in the few minutes they have before being sent on their next mission. Eren thinks they've lost their minds.
Relationships: Levi & Hange Zoë
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	Squeeze

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: All characters, locations, etc are property of Isayama Hajime. I’m just a fan having a little fun speculating on what might happen in one of the gaps between what we see on-screen. 
> 
> Spoilers for season 1 and chapter 32. This takes place shortly after the return from the 57th scouting expedition, right before Erwin arrives to give a briefing on the next attempt to capture the female titan.

“Shut up, Jaeger,” Levi ordered before taking a sip of tea. ”You followed orders and survived your first expedition,” he continued while carefully placing his cup back on the mess hall table, “that’s good enough.”

“But it’s my fault…”

“Are you really going to keep repeating yourself until eyebrows gets here?”

“I can’t stop thinking I could have helped them, sir,” Eren insisted, “we could’ve fought together…”

“Or you could’ve gone berserk again, idiot,” Levi interrupted. “Might’ve attacked our squad from behind, like that time you almost killed your creepy girlfriend.”

“I, it, it’s not like that!” a suddenly blushing Eren stammered. And Mikasa isn’t creepy! Anyway, you don’t know I’d go berserk!”

“Can’t,” Levi corrected before taking another sip of tea.

“Sir?”

“Can’t know. I’ve already told you more than once, even I never know how my decisions will turn out. Maybe this time it’ll sink into that thick head, all we can do is decide and live with the results. You’re just stuffing your head full of shit right now, whining about what you didn’t do.”

The two sat in silence for several more minutes. Eren silently worried over the past day’s events while Levi, unreadable as usual, slowly finished his tea and poured himself another. The door opened and Eren was surprised when Hange walked inside instead of Erwin.

“Don’t you have a mission to be on, four-eyes?” Levi dryly asked.

“Just got out of the briefing,” the usually manic scientist replied in a subdued tone. “Got a few minutes while Moblit gets the gear together and Erwin briefs Mike’s team,” she continued while walking up to the table. “So, how you holding up?”

Levi shrugged. “Well enough.”

“That bad, huh? Didn’t even call me lazy for delegating.” Walking behind Levi, she suddenly bent down, wrapped both arms around his shoulders, and squeezed. Without changing his expression, Levi slowly lifted his hand from where it had been resting on the table next to his cup. Eren expected to see his captain shove the reckless section commander backwards and was shocked when instead he placed his hand over one of Hange’s and squeezed back. They silently held this position for a few minutes, while Eren sat awkwardly and wondered if they had lost the last of their sanity after the costly expedition. Finally, she whispered something in Levi’s ear before straightening back up with a small smile on her face.

“Thanks, four-eyes,” Levi said, face still unreadable. “You may have broken your science project’s little brain, though.” Following his gaze, Hange burst out laughing at the befuddled look Eren wore.

“What?” Eren asked. ”I thought you two hated each other, the way you always argue and insult each other, what the hell’s going on?” This caused Hange to laugh harder, bracing herself with one hand on the table while Levi calmly took another sip of tea.

“You’re an oblivious dumbass, Jaeger,” he pronounced while setting his tea back down. “We give each other shit all the time because the mad scientist here’s somehow managed to stay alive longer than any of my other friends.”

“Don’t let that little asshole fool you, Eren,” Hange cackled, “he only pretends to be made of ice.”

“Shut up, shitty glasses.”

“See?” she continued with a laugh, “being able to get a reaction like that just proves that humanity’s strongest janitor really does have a heart.” Eren laughed at that quip and immediately regretted it, wondering how much floor scrubbing duty he had just earned.

Levi’s ire was directed elsewhere at the moment. “Go fuck yourself,” he pronounced in a cold tone.

“No time for that, I’ve got a mission, remember?” she retorted. Eren had unluckily chosen that moment to stifle his laugh by taking a drink and instead choked, spat out his tea, and once again blushed furiously, which set Hange off on another round of laughter.

“Disgusting, you need to learn to control your face, Jaeger,” Levi complained. “You’re lucky we’re in a hurry or you’d be mopping that floor right now.”

“Ah, poor Eren,” Hange said after she stopped laughing, “if it’s that easy to get a reaction, I bet the girls in the 104th teased you mercilessly.”

“I bet the oblivious brat mostly didn’t notice and they got bored of trying,” Levi countered while Eren, mortified, briefly managed to forget the guilt he had been feeling over his recent decisions.

“I’ll have to ask one of them later, I’m dying to know which of us is right!” she declared with a curious gleam in her eyes. “And Eren, thanks for having a funny face there. You two aren’t the only ones who lost friends out there, giving me a good laugh like that helped.”

“Oh. Sorry about them, sirs,” Eren said as his face finally began to cool back down.

“Shit, you’ve gone and got him started blaming himself again, four-eyes,” Levi grumbled.

“I didn’t mean like that, sir, just sorry that you’ve lost friends,” Eren elaborated.

“However you mean it, stop repeating yourself, brat. It’s just part of the job.”

“Thanks again, Eren. And that was a grateful grumble from Levi,” Hange translated.

“Shut up, shitty four-eyes. Your minder’s probably looking for you by now.”

“Nope, I told Moblit I’d be in here interrupting you two’s sulking contest.”

“The brat’s the only one sulking.”

“I wasn’t sulking!”

“I’m not sure which of you’s less believable, Captain grumpy pants or 15 meters of mope,” Hange pondered with a grin. “But I really do need to get going now that you’ve both stopped sulking, drinks are on me when the mission’s done!” she announced with a wave while heading to the door.

Levi returned the wave and then turned towards Eren. “Don’t let her forget that she owes you,” he instructed.

“Is that a good idea, sir? We were just talking about what if I went berserk, and now you two are going to take me drinking?”

“At a tea house.”

“Oh.”

“Never repeat that idea you just had around Hange,” Levi ordered, “or she will get you shitfaced and order you to bite your hand, just to see what happens.”

“Yes, sir,” Eren replied, not wanting to wake up with a hangover and missing limbs.

“Erwin and his mofos sure are late,” Levi grumbled after several more minutes of quiet drinking. “MPs are gonna get here first at this rate. Bastards, making me wait.” He took another sip of tea before continuing, “Maybe he’s struggling with painful constipation somewhere,” he speculated, drawing another surprised laugh from Eren.

**Author's Note:**

> It’s been a while, but inspiration struck and so here’s my first new fic in years. I was intentionally vague about if Levi & Hange are good friends or something more here, so the readers can share a bit of Eren’s confusion. They’re fun characters to throw together either way, so much interesting contrast in motion. Maybe I’ll follow up some day with a story about collecting that debt from Hange, a vague outline is sitting half formed in my head, just need to figure a direction to take that trip to a tea house.


End file.
